First off don't read the headline and think I am a Pardew apologist or a Mike Ashley fan, however if we take a minute, take a step back and look at the state of our club I would argue things are really not as bad as certain fans or journalists are suggesting. Or rather we should not be surprised at our current state.
Let me preface this by saying as a fan my main concern is the 11 lads on the pitch in Black & White and not the current mess going on in our boardroom. Saying that lets put that to one side and concentrate on Alan Pardew and his playing staff.
If we go back to Boxing day when we beat Stoke 5-1 at SJP and sat 7th in the Premier League everything looked great, no one could deny Pardew was doing a good job with a squad who had narrowly escaped relegation only a few months before. Did anyone expect us to finish in the top 8?
From Boxing day forward we have had a nightmare few months - but lets us some perspective when looking at the reality of how bad things are actually are. Our nightmare few months included defeats against: Arsenal, City, Chelsea, and Spurs - also lets not forget were more than matched both Arsenal and City. This nightmare month also included the inevitable departure of our talisman Yohan Cabaye. I think it if fair to ask our fans - 'What did we expect to happen'? Did anyone expect us to beat 4 of the top 5 teams? Did people not expect us to miss Cabaye? My suggestion would be that we were always going to hit this sticky patch - and now it is about how we recover from this.
Pardew needs to lift his squad we are obviously downcast right now - we cannot repeat that heartless display we witnessed against Spurs - Pardew should be fighting for his future, he is certainly fighting to build bridges with many fans and how he finishes the season will determine his standing with the Toon Army.
Again don't get me wrong - I like any other fan want so much more for my club - I too want an ambitious owner, a top notch manager and exciting players - unfortunately we have not been dealt this hand - this is bring with it a sense of realism and a new level of expectations.
Kevin Keegan summed it up perfectly:
"Ashley has made no secret that he wants to sell Newcastle, and the best day will come when someone buys it from him and runs Newcastle like that club should be run. The club can never go anywhere under Mike Ashley - it can't go anywhere, I promise you that."
Looking on the bright side this coming Sunday we should see the return of 4 key players - Colo, Tiote, Gouffran, and Remy. No one can doubt the boost this will have on the team and should see a fighting spirit. If we can line up with the following team on Sunday then I expect us to win and some what get our season back on track.
Krul
DebuchyColoWilloSanton
SissokoTioteAnitaGouffran
RemyDe Jong
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